Scenes:
Béatrice et Bénédict
Héro
Béatrice
Ursule
Giulio Cesare
Sesto
Cornelia
Achillas
Guards
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia
Enrico
Hector Berlioz (1802-1869)
Laura Weiss
Mary Finn
Nancy Burstein
Georg Frederich Handel (1685-1759)
Janice Dallas
Sybil Gilchrist
Larry Seiler
Aaron Dinkin, Phil Shaw
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Rebecca Burstein
Richard Burstein
Intermission
Lohengrin
Elsa
Ortrud
Norma
Norma
Adalgisa
Die Fledermaus
Rosalinde
Adele
Gabriel Eisenstein
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Martha Birnbaum
Randi Kestin-Peisach
Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)
Mary Finn
Rebecca Burstein
Johann Strauss, Jr. (1825-1899)
Janice Dallas
Nancy Burstein
Richard Burstein
Béatrice et Bénédict
This opera by the mid-19-century French composer Hector Berlioz is based on
Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.
Béatrice and Bénédict, confirmed spinster and bachelor, are in the habit of
sharpening their wits by teasing and insulting each other. Béatrice's cousin Héro,
who is about to be married, has joined in a plot to convince each of the two
adversaries that the other is in love - hoping to trick them into actual love and
marriage. In this scene, Héro and her maid, Ursule, start a conversation about
Héro's upcoming marriage, and are amused to see by Béatrice's reactions that their
plot is starting to take effect.
H:
Je vais, d'un coeur aimant
Etre la joie et le bonheur suprême.
Mon cher Claudio m'aime
Et mon époux restera mon amant.
I am going to be the supreme joy
and happiness of a loving heart.
My dear Claudio loves me
And my husband will remain my
lover.
U:
Héro, d'un coeur aimant
Sera la joie et le bonheur suprême.
Son cher Claudio l'aime
Et son époux restera son amant.
Hero will be the supreme joy and
happiness of a loving heart.
Her dear Claudio loves her
And her husband will remain her
lover.
Tu vas, d'un coeur aimant
Etre la joie et le bonheur suprême.
You will be the supreme joy and
happiness
Of a loving heart.
Your dear Claudio loves you
And your husband will remain
your lover.
B:
Ton cher Claudio t'aime
Et ton époux restera ton amant.
H,U Quelle douceur!
:
B:
Et ton époux restera ton amant.
What sweetness!
H,U Quel changement!
:
What a change!
And your husband will remain
your lover.
U:
Eh quoi! madame, un seul moment,
A ces deux coeurs, porteriez-vous
envie?
Et cette liberté, charme de votre vie,
Pourriez-vous la donner pour un
époux amant?
Hey, there! Madame, just a
minute.
Are you envious of those two
hearts?
And that liberty, the charm of your
life,
Would you be able to trade it for a
loving husband?
B:
Un amant! un époux! á moi! de
l'esclavage
Trainer la chaîne en frémissant!
Ah! j'aime mieux, dans un couvent,
Voir se flétrir la fleur de mon bel áge
Sous le cilice et le noir vêtement.
A lover! A husband! For me!
To drag, sighing, the chains of
slavery!
Ah! I would prefer
To see the flower of my youth wither
in a convent
Under the hair shirt and the black
robes.
H:
Certes, belle cousine,
A ton coeur fier l'hymen serait fatal!
Et si, d'un cavalier que ta taille
divine,
Tes traits si beaux, ton esprit sans
égal,
Auraient forcé de te rendre les
armes,
Les yeux, pour toi, fondaient en
larmes.
Certainly, beautiful cousin,
Marriage would be fatal to your
proud heart!
If there were ever a knight whom
your divine figure,
Your lovely features, your
unmatched spirit,
Might force to yield himself your
prisoner
His eyes, for you, drowned in tears -
H/U Ne va pas/N'allez pas, un jour,
:
D'un tendre retour,
Payer son amour.
Do not go so far as, one day,
To requite his love
with a tender response.
B:
I laugh, dear cousin,
At all those paladins with their
killing looks;
Do not fear that I will have
a weakness for them in my turn!
No, no, should the most valiant
yield to me,
I would laugh at his tears,
Je me moque, chère cousine,
De tous ces paladins á la mine
assassine,
Ne crains pas que, pour eux, je
faiblisse á mon tour!
Non, non, le plus vaillant m'eût-il
rendu les armes,
Je rirais de ses larmes,
U:
Et d'un tendre retour
On ne me verrait pas payer son fol
amour.
And no one would ever see me
return his mad love
with a tender response.
Dans le mariage, hélas! l'habitude,
Spectre á l'oeil éteint,
Oú l'ennui se peint,
Amène trop souvent dégouts et
lassitude,
E tardifs remords!
In marriage, alas, habit,
Specter with eyes
Painted dull by boredom
Leads too often to disgust and
weariness
And belated remorse!
H:
Et bientôt après, c'est la jalousie,
Ce monstre aux yeux verts,
Vomi des enfers,
H,U Que vient empoissoner une
:
innocente vie
Par d'affreux transports!
And then, later, it’s jealousy,
That monster with green eyes,
Spewed out from Hell,
Which begins to poison an innocent
life
with frightful outbursts!
H:
Ah! si Claudio ... ciel! un tel
outrage! ...
Devait, pour moi, se refroidir!
Ah! If Claudio - Heavens! - such
an outrage! --Turned cool towards me!
B:
Ah! j'en mourrais de rage!
Ah! I would die of rage!
H:
Pour une autre me fuir!
To leave me for another!
B:
J'en perdrais la raison ...
I would go mad…
H:
Etre par lui trompée!
To be betrayed by him!
B:
Ah!
Ah!
H:
Délaisée!
Abandoned!
B:
Ah! le fer! le poison!
Ah! A dagger! Poison!
H,
U:
H:
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Ha! Ha! Ha! Lionne en furie!
Quoi! la jalousie
Aurait sur tes sens
Un pareil empire?
Ha! Ha! Ha! A lioness in a rage!
What! Does jealousy
Have such sovereignty
Over your feelings?
H,
B,
U:
Mais, j'ai voulu rire.
Non, non, non, je le sens,
No, je le sens.
But, I had to laugh.
No, no, no, I understand,
No, I understand …
Je vais, d'un coeur aimant, etc.
Héro, d'un coeur aimant, etc.
I will be, of a loving heart… etc.
Hero will be, of a loving heart…
etc.
Giulio Cesare
This Italian-language Baroque opera by a
German/English composer was composed to a libretto by
G.F. Bussani.
Pompeo (known to history as Pompey, a Roman general)
fled to Egypt after losing a battle to Caesar. Tolemeo
(Ptolemy), the brother of Cleopatra, who shared with her
the throne of Egypt, had Pompey beheaded, and sent the
head to Caesar in the care of Achilla, one of his generals,
hoping to curry favor with the powerful Roman. As soon
as Achilla saw Cornelia, Pompey's beautiful widow, he
fell in love with her - not a hopeful situation for a
messenger bringing news of a beloved husband's violent
death!
By this point in the opera, Cornelia and her son Sesto
(Sextus) find themselves captives in Egypt. Sesto has
threatened Tolemeo, and is about to be led off to prison.
Tolomeo has a place for Cornelia as well: he tells Achillas
that she is to tend the flowers in his harem (although he
makes it clear in an aside that tending flowers is not all
she will be doing). In this scene Achilla tells Cornelia
that she can win both her son’s and her own release by
agreeing to marry him. Cornelia and Sesto angerly
refuse, and conclude the act with a duet bemoaning their
fate.
A
Cornelia, in quei tuoi lumi sta
legato il mio cor. Se all'amor mio
Cornelia, in your eyes my heart lies
bound. If you turn a kindly eye to
giri sereno il ciglio e i talami
my love and yield your marriage
concedi, sarà la madre in libertà col bed, both mother and son will be at
figlio.
liberty.
C
Barbaro, una Romana sposa ad un
vil Egizio?
Barbarian, a Roman as wife to a
base Egyptian?
S
A te consorte? Ah no! pria della
morte . . .
Oh là: per regal legge ormai si
guidi
prigionier nella reggia così audace
garzon.
Seguirò anch'io l'amata prole, il
caro figlio mio.
Your wife? Ah no! death first . . .
A
Tu ferma il piede e pensa di non
trovar pietade acciò che chiedi, se
pietade al mio amor pria non
concedi. (parte)
Stay your step and consider that
you will not find the pity which you
ask, if first you do not grant pity to
my love. (He leaves.)
S
Madre!
Mother!
C
Mia vita!
My life!
S
Addio!
Farewell!
C
Dove, dove, inumani, l'anima mia
guidate? Empi, lasciate, che al mio
core, al mio bene io porga almen gli
ultimi baci. Ahi pene!
Where, where, inhuman creatures,
are you taking my beloved one?
Villains, let him go, so that I may at
least give my dearest his last kisses.
Ah me, what pain!
C
Son nata a lagrimar,
I was born to weep,
S
Son nato a sospirar,
I was born to sigh,
C, S
e il dolce mio conforto,
ah, sempre piangerò.
Se il fato ci tradì,
sereno e lieto dì
mai più sperar potrò.
and I will always lament
my sweet comfort.
If fate has betrayed us,
I will never more be able to hope for
a calm and joyous day.
A
C
Ho there: by royal command, let so
audacious a boy be led immediately
into the palace as a prisoner.
I too will follow my beloved
offspring, my dear son.
C
Son nata a lagrimar,
I was born to weep,
S
Son nato a sospirar,
I was born to sigh,
C, S
e il dolce mio conforto,
ah, sempre piangerò.
and I will always lament
my sweet comfort.
Lucia di Lammermoor
This opera by the early 19th-century Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti is based
on The Bride of Lammermoor, a novel by Sir Walter Scott.
A feud between the Scots families of Lammermoor and Ravenswood has left the
Lammermoors in possession of all of both families' lands, and led to the death of all
but one of the Ravenswoods. Enrico (Lord Henry Ashton of Lammermoor) wishes
to strengthen his currently shaky political position by marrying his sister, Lucia, to
the politically strong Arturo (Lord Arthur Bucklaw). But Lucy has met, fallen in
love with, and become engaged to Edgardo, the sole remaining Ravenswood.
Enrico, learning of this, does all he can to dissuade his sister from a marriage
which he feels will destroy his family, and finally comes up with a plot to shake
her: in this scene he shows his defiant sister a forged letter which states that
Edgardo has been unfaithful to Lucia during his current absence in France, and is
actually pledged to a Frenchwoman. In despair, Lucia agrees to marry Arturo, as a
procession heralding his arrival is heard in the distance.
Enrico Appressati, Lucia. Sperai più
lieta in questo dì vederti, in
questo dì, che d’Imeneo le faci
s’accendono per te. Mi guardi, e
taci?
Lucia Il pallor funesto, orrendo, che
ricopre il volto mio, ti
rimprovero tacendo il mio
strazio, il mio dolore. Perdonare
ti possa Iddio l’inumano tuo
rigor, e il mio dolor!
E
Approach, Lucy. I hoped to see you more
happy on this day, on this day when the
torches of marriage are being lighted for
you. You look at me and are silent?
The deadly, fearful pallor which cloaks
my face, my anguish, my grief will
reproach you silently. May God be able to
pardon you your inhuman harshness and
my grief!
A ragion mi fe’ spietato quel che The unworthy love which inflamed you
t’arse indegno affetto; ma si
rightly made me cruel; but let us be
taccia del passato; tuo fratello
sono ancor. Spenta è l’ira nel
mio petto, spegni tu l’insano
amor. Nobil sposo --
silent about the past; I am still your
brother. The anger in my heart has been
extinguished; extinguish your mad love.
A noble husband –
L
Cessa, cessa!
Cease, no more!
E
Come?
What?
L
Ad altr’uom giurai mia fè.
I have plighted my faith to another man.
E
Nol potevi --
You could not have –
L
Enrico!
Henry!
E
Nol potevi --
You could not have –
L
Ad altro giurai mia fè.
I have plighted my faith to another.
E
Basti! Questo foglio appien ti
dice qual crudel, qual empio
amasti. Leggi.
Enough! This letter tells you to the full
what a cruel man, what a villain you
loved. Read.
L
Ah! il core mi balzò!
Ah! My heart leaps within me!
E
Tu vacilli!
You are reeling!
L
Me infelice! ahi! la folgore
piombò!
Unhappy me! Alas! The thunderbolt has
struck!
L
Soffriva nel pianto, languia nel
dolore, la speme, la vita riposi
in un cor, l’istante di morte è
giunto per me! quel core
infedele ad altra si diè!
I suffered in tears, I languished in grief;
I rested my hope and my life in one
heart; the moment of death has come for
me! That unfaithful heart has given
itself to another!
E
Un folle t’accese, un perfido
amore;
tradisti il tuo sangue per vil
seduttore,
Oh Dio!
A foolish and treacherous love inflamed
you;
you betrayed your own blood for a base
seducer;
Oh God!
E
L
E
E: ma degna del cielo ne avesti
mercè:
but you have had a fitting reward from
heaven:
E
L
quel core infedele ad altra si
diè.
Ahime!
that unfaithful heart has given itself to
another.
Alas!
L
L’istante tremendo è giunto per
me, sì, quel core infedele ad
altra si diè!
Un folle t’accese, un perfido
amore; tradisti il tuo sangue
per vil seduttore, ma degna del
cielo ne avesti mercè: quel core
infedele ad altra si diè.
The terrible moment has come for me,
yes, that unfaithful heart has given itself
to another!
A foolish and treacherous love inflamed
you; you betrayed your own blood for a
base seducer; but you have had a fitting
reward from heaven: that unfaithful
heart has given itself to another.
L
Che fia!
What's that?
E
Suonar di giubilo senti la riva.
You hear the river-bank resounding with
celebration.
L
Ebbene?
And . . . ?
E
Giunge il tuo sposo.
Your husband approaches.
L
Un brivido mi corse per le vene! A chill ran through my veins!
E
A te s’appresta il talamo.
The bridal bed draws near to you.
L
La tomba a me s’appresta!
The tomb draws near to me!
E
L
Ora fatale è questa!
Ho sugl’occhi un vel!
This is thefatal hour!
I have a veil before my eyes!
E
M’odi! Spento è Guglielmo . . .
ascendere vedremo il trono
Maria -- Prostrata è nella
polvere le parte ch’io seguia –
Hear me! William is dead . . . we will see
Mary ascend the throne – The faction
which I followed is prostrate in the dust -
L
Ah! io tremo!
Ah! I tremble!
E
E
Dal precipizio Arturo può
sottrarmi, sol egli --
Arthur can hold me back from the
precipice, only he –
L
Ed io?
And I?
E
Salvarmi devi.
You must save me.
L
Enrico!
Henry!
E
Vieni allo sposo.
Come to your husband.
L
Ad altro giurai.
I am pledged to another.
E
Devi salvarmi.
You must save me.
L
Ma --
But –
E
Il devi.
You must.
L
Oh ciel!
Oh heaven!
E
Se tradirmi tu potrai, la mia
sorte è già compita; tu m’involi
onore e vita, tu la scure
appresti a me. Ne’ tuoi sogni mi
vedrai, ombra irata e
minacciosa! quella scure
sanguinosa starà sempre
innanzi a te!
If you can betray me, my fate is already
sealed; you rob me of honor and life, you
bring the axe close to me. In your dreams
you will see me, an angry and menacing
shade! That bloodstained axe will always
be before you!
L
Tu che vedi il pianto mio, tu che
leggi in questo core, se respinto
il mio dolore, come in terra, in
ciel non è; tu mi togli, eterno
Iddio, questa vita disperata, io
son tanto sventurata, che la
morte è un ben per me.
Thou who seest my tears, Thou who
readest my heart, if my grief is not
rejected in heaven as it is on earth, take
from me, eternal God, this life without
hope; I am so unfortunate that death is a
boon for me.
Lohengrin
This opera, by the late 19th-century
composer/librettist Richard Wagner, is based on
the Arthurian legend of Lohengrin, son of
Percival (Parsival, the Knight of the Holy Grail).
Telramund, regent of the Duchy of Brabant, has
accused his ward, the Christian Elsa, of
murdering her own brother, the heir to the
Duchy. Actually, Telramond's wife, the Pagan
sorceress Ortrud, has hidden the boy under an
enchantment. When an unknown knight
appears and proves Elsa's innocence by
defeating Telramund in formal combat, the ruler
and his consort invent another plot to protect
their hold on the throne, based on the fact that
the knight has promised to marry and protect Elsa on the condition that she never
ask him his name or his origin. In this scene, Ortrud gains Elsa's trust by playing
on her sympathy, and procedes to insinuate doubt in the girl's mind, leading her to
ultimately break her promise by asking her new husband the questions she has
been forbidden to ask.
E
Ortrud! wo bist du?
Ortrud! Where are you?
O
Hier, zu deinen Füßen!
Here, at your feet!
E
Hilf Gott! So muß ich dich
erblicken,
die ich in Stolz und Pracht nur sah!
Es will das Herze mir ersticken,
seh’ ich so niedrig dich mir nah’!
Steh’ auf! O, spare mir dein Bitten!
Trug’st du mir Haß, verzieh ich dir;
was du schon jetzt durch mich
gelitten,
das, bitte ich, verzeih’ auch mir!
God help me! That I must see you
thus,
whom but now I saw in pride and
splendor!
My heart will stifle me for it,
if I see you so humble before me!
Stand up! O, spare me your pleading!
If you have borne me hate, I forgive
you;
what you have suffered through me
before now, that, I ask you, forgive me
also!
O
O habe Dank für so viel Güte!
O receive my thanks for so much
goodness!
E
Der morgen nun mein Gatte heißt,
anfleh’ ich sein liebreich Gemüthe,
daß Friedrich auch er Gnad’
erweist.
I will implore of the kindly disposition
of him
who tomorrow will be my husband,
that he show mercy to Friedrich also.
O
Du fesselst mich in Dankes
Banden!
You bind me in bonds of gratitude!
E
In Früh’n laß mich bereit dich
seh’n!
Geschmückt mit prächtigen
Gewanden
sollst du mit mir zum Münster
geh’n:
dort harre ich des Helden mein,
vor Gott sein Eh’gemahl zu sein!
Sein Eh’gemahl!
In the early morning let me see you
ready!
Adorned with a splendid robe
you shall go with me to the church:
there I await my hero,
to become his wedded wife before God!
His wedded wife!
O
Wie kann ich solche Huld dir
lohnen,
da machtlos ich und elend bin?
Soll ich in Gnaden bei dir wohnen,
stets bleibe ich dir Bettlerin!
Nur eine Kraft ist mir gegeben,
sie raubte mir kein Machtgebot;
durch sie vielleicht schütz’ ich dein
Leben,
bewahr’ es vor der Reue Noth!
E
Wie meinst du?
How can I repay you for such favor,
since I am powerless and wretched?
If I should live entirely by your mercy,
I would remain always a beggar to you!
But one art is given to me,
one which no power can wrest from
me;
through it perhaps I may shield your
life,
it may save you from the distress of
regret!
What do you mean?
O
Wohl daß ich dich warne,
zu blind nicht deinem Glück zu
trau’n;
daß nicht ein Unheil dich umgarne,
laß mich für dich zur Zukunft
schau’n.
It is well that I warn you
not to trust blindly in your happiness ;
so that a misfortune may not entrap
you,
let me look into the future for you.
E
Welch’ Unheil?
What misfortune?
O
Könntest du erfassen,
wie dessen Art so wundersam,
der nie dich möge so verlassen,
wie er durch Zauber zu dir kam!
Can you know for certain
that his so-wondrous art,
might never cause him to desert you,
just as through magic he came to you!
E
Du Ärmste kannst wohl nie
ermessen,
wie zweifellos mein Herze liebt!
Du hast wohl nie das Glück
besessen,
das sich uns nur durch Glaube
giebt?
Kehr’ bei mir ein! Laß’ mich dich
lehren,
wie süß die Wonne reinster Treu’!
Laß zu dem Glauben dich
bekehren:
es gibt ein Glück, das ohne Reu’!
You, poor woman, can never realize
how confidently my heart loves!
Have you never truly possessed this
happiness,
that is given to us only through faith?
Stay with me! Let me teach you
how sweet is the delight of purest
constancy!
Let me convert you to faith:
it gives happiness without regret!
O
(Ha! Dieser Stolz, er soll mich
lehren,
wie ich bekämpfe ihre Treu’!
Gen ihn will ich die Waffen kehren,
durch ihren Hochmuth werd’ ihr
Reu’!)
Laß mich dich lehren,
wie süß die Wonne reinster Treue.
Laß zu dem Glauben dich neu
bekehren:
es gibt ein Glück, das ohne Reu’!
(Ha! This pride shall teach me
how I may fight against her constancy!
I will turn my weapons towards it,
through her overconfidence comes her
regret!)
E
Let me teach you
how sweet is the delight of purest
constancy!
Let me convert you to faith:
it gives happiness without regret!
Norma
This opera, by the early 19th-century Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini, was
composed to a libretto by Romani after a play by Soumet.
Norma, the leader of a group of Druids, has been discouraging her followers from
rising up against the invading Romans, claiming that the Moon still calls for peace.
The truth is that she is in love with a Roman general, by whom she has secretly
borne two children. Her political worries are compounded by personal worries: her
lover has stopped visiting her.
Adalgisa, a young Druidess, comes to her leader for help: she has fallen in love,
and her lover is urging her to break her vows of chastity and elope with him.
Adalgisa asks for pardon and for help in fighting her desires. Norma,
remembering her own seduction and the suffering she has gone through, assures
the girl that she has not yet reached the point in her novitiate at which her vows
become irrevocable, frees her from those vows, and urges her to marry her lover
and live a happy life. (Neither of them yet knows that Adalgisa's lover, whose
method of seduction sounds so familiar to Norma, is in fact Norma's lover.)
N
Adalgisa!
Adalgisa!
A
(Alma, costanza.)
(Soul, be steadfast)
N
T’inoltra, o giovinetta, t’inoltra. E
perchè tremi? Udii che grave a me
segreto palesar tu voglia.
A
È ver . . . ma, deh! ti spoglia della
celeste austerità, che splende negli
occhi tuoi. Dammi coraggio, ond’io
senza alcun velo ti palesi il core.
Come forward, girl. But why are
you trembling? I heard that you
wished to reveal a grave secret to
me.
It is true . . . But please! Set aside
the heavenly austerity which
shines in your eyes. Give me
courage, so that I may reveal my
heart to you without any
concealment.
N
M’abbraccia, e parla! Che t’afflige?
Embrace me, and speak! What
troubles you?
A
Amore! Non t’irritar. Lunga
stagion pugnai per soffocarlo; ogni
mia forza ei vinse, ogni rimorso.
Love! Don’t be angry. For a long
time I have fought to stifle it; it
has vanquished all my strength,
Ah, tu non sai purdianzi qual
giuramento fea! fuggir dal tempio,
tradir l’altare a cui son io legata . .
. abbandonar la patria.
all my remorse. Ah, you don’t
know what an oath I made just
now! To flee the temple, to betray
the altar to which I am bound . . .
to forsake my country.
N
Ahi! sventurata! Del tuo primier
mattino già turbato è il sereno? E
come, e quando nacque tal fiamma in
te?
Alas, unhappy girl! Is the calm of
your early morning already
troubled? But how and when was
such a flame born in you?
A
Da un solo sguardo, da un sol
sospiro, nella sacra selva, a piè
dell’ara ov’io pregavo il Dio. Tremai,
sul labbro mio si arrestò la
preghiera: e tutta assorta in quel
leggiadro aspetto, un altro cielo
mirar credetti, un altro cielo in lui.
From a single glance, from a
single sigh, in the sacred wood, at
the foot of the altar where I was
praying to the God. I trembled;
the prayer halted upon my lips;
and, entirely caught up in his
lovely appearance, I believed I
beheld another heaven, another
heaven in him.
N
(Oh rimembranza! Io fui così rapita
al sol mirarlo in volto.)
(Oh, memory! I was thus, thus
carried away by one single look at
a face.)
A
Ma . . . non m’ascolti tu?
But . . . you aren’t listening to me?
N
Segui . . . t’ascolto.
Go on . . . I am listening.
A
Sola, furtiva, al tempio io l’aspettai
Alone, furtively, often I waited for
sovente; ed ogni dí più fervida crebbe him at the temple; and every day
la fiamma ardente.
more fervently crackled the
ardent flame
N
(Io stessa arsi così.)
(I myself burned thus.)
A
Vieni, ei dicea, concedi ch’io mi ti
prostri ai piedi; lascia che l’aura io
spiri dei dolci tuoi sospiri;
Come, he said, grant that I may
kneel at your feet; let me breathe
the breath of your sweet sighs;
N
(Oh rimembranza! Io fui così
sedotta!)
(Oh, memory! I was seduced
thus!)
A
del tuo bel crin l’anella dammi poter
bacciar!
give me a lock of your beautiful
hair to kiss!
N
(Oh cari accenti! Così li profferia,
così trovava del mio cor la via.)
(Oh, dear words! Thus he spoke
them, thus he found the way to
my heart.)
A
Dolci qual arpa armonica m’eran le
sue parole; negli occhi suoi sorridere
vedea più bello un sole.
His words were sweet as a
harmonious harp to me; in his
eyes I saw a more beautiful sun
smiling.
N
(L’incanto suo fu il mio.)
(Her enchantment was my own.)
A
Io fu perduta, e il sono; d’uopo ho del
tuo perdono.
I was lost, and I am still; I have
need of your pardon.
N
Ah! tergi il pianto: avrò pietade.
Ah! dry your tears; I will have
pity.
A
Deh! tu mi reggi e guida, me
rassicura, o sgrida,
Ah, direct me and guide me,
reassure me, or scold me,
N
Ah! tergi il pianto.
Dry your tears.
A
salvami da me stessa, salvami dal
mio cor.
save me from myself, save me
from my own heart.
N
Ah! tergi il pianto: te non lega eterno Dry your tears; you are not bound
nodo all’ara.
to the altar by an eternal tie.
A
Ah! ripeti, o ciel, ripeti sì lusinghieri
accenti.
Ah! repeat, oh heaven, repeat
such delightful words.
N
Ah, sì, fa core e abbracciami.
Perdono e ti compiango. Dai voti tuoi
ti libero, i tuoi legami io frango. Al
caro oggetto unita, vivrai felice
ancor.
Ah, yes, take heart and embrace
me. I pardon and sympathize with
you. I free you from your vows, I
break your bonds. United to the
dear object of your affections, you
will live happily yet.
A
Ripeti, o ciel, ripetimi sì lusinghieri
accenti: per te s’acquetano i lunghi
miei tormenti.
Repeat, oh heaven, repeat such
delightful words; through you, my
long torments are eased.
A
Tu rendi a me la vita, se non è colpa
amor.
Vivrai felice ancor.
You return life to me, if love is not
a sin.
You will live happily yet.
N
Die Fledermaus
This opera by the late 19th-century Viennese composer Johann Strauss, Jr., is
based on a French farce, Le Reveillon, by Meilhac and Halevy.
It's New Year's Eve. Rosalinde's husband, Gabriel Eisenstein, is due to commence
a brief prison sentence tonight (because he kicked the tax
collector!). Rosalinde, Gabriel and their chambermaid Adele
appear miserable at the prospect - but are they really? Gabriel has
been persuaded by his friend, Dr. Falke, to secretly postpone his
visit to jail and spend the night at a fancy-dress ball. Adele has
been sent an invitation to the same party, and told to come
secretly, dressed in her mistress' gown, and to claim to be an
aristocrat. And Rosalinde is planning a brief tete-a-tete with an
old boyfriend, followed by a jaunt to –amazingly enough - a fancydress ball, to which she’s been invited by Dr. Falke. None of them
knows each other's plans for the evening, nor do they know that
their plans are all part of a plot on the part of Dr Falke - whose nick-name, "The
Bat" (Die Fledermaus) is the result of trick a Eisenstein played on him a few years
ago.
R
So muß allein ich bleiben
acht Tage ohne dich!
Wie soll ich dir beschreiben
mein Leid so fürchterlich!
Wie werd’ ich es ertragen,
daß mich mein Mann verließ?
Wem soll mein Leid ich
klagen?
O Gott, wie rührt mich dies!
Ich werde dein gedenken
des Morgens beim Kaffee,
Then I must remain alone
for eight days without you!
How shall I describe to you
such terrible sorrow!
How will I bear it,
that my husband is lost to me?
To whom shall I lament my sorrow?
O God, how this moves me!
I will think of you
in the morning over coffee,
when I will pour out some for you,
E
wenn ich dir ein will
schenken,
die leere Tasse seh;
kann keinen Gruß dir
winken,
aus Jammer werd’ ich gewiß
ihn schwarz und bitter
trinken. Ach!
seeing the empty cup;
I cannot nod a greeting to you,
in my misery I will certainly
drink it black and bitter. Ah!
O Gott, wie rührt mich dies!
O God, how this moves me!
R, E, A O Gott, wie rührt mich dies!
O God, how this moves me!
O je, o je, wie rührt mich dies! Alas, how this moves me!
R
Wo bleibt die traute Gruppe,
kommt Mittag dann heran?
Zum Rindfleisch wie zur
Suppe,
zum Braten keinen Mann!
Und sinkt der nächt’ge
Schleier,
gibt’s wieder mir ’nen Riß,
mein Schmerz wird
ungeheuer!
Where will we sad companions be,
when noon arrives?
With the beef, with the soup,
with the roast, no husband!
And when the veil of night falls,
it reminds me of the rift,
my grief will be monstrous!
R, A, E O je, o je, wie rührt mich dies! Alas, how this moves me!
E
R
A
E
R
A
Was soll das Klagen
frommen?
Den Kopf verlier’ ich schier!
Mein Kopf ist ganz
benommen!
Den meinen hab’ ich hier!
What’s the use of lamenting?
I’ve almost lost my head!
Leb’ wohl, ich muss nun
geh’n!
Leb' wohl, du musst nun
geh'n!
Leb' wohl, er muss nun geh'n!
Farewell, now I must go!
R, A, E Doch bleibt ein Trost so süss!
My head is completely dazed!
I have mine here!
Farewell, now you (he) must go!
But a sweet comfort remains!
A
Es gibt ein Wiedersehen!
We will meet again.
R, A, E Es gibt ein Wiedersehen!
We will meet again.
O Gott, wie rührt mich dies!
O God, how this moves me!
O je, o je, wie rührt mich dies! Alas, how this moves me!